A Port Harcourt based busi
nessman, Chief Amadi Wisdom, had hailed the renewed effort of the Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning, to remove street markets in Port Harcourt, the state capital and its environs.
Wisdom, who is the Managing Director, Amadi Interprises Nigeria Limited, said such determined effort was needed to return the city to its garden city status.
“Though, the people will experience some pains because they are used to the situation but the issue remains that street markets constitute many challenges to the city.
The hardship and frustration people suffer daily while driving through the Rumuokoro Round About to the Obio/Akpor Council Headquarters because of the market is terrible and unhealthy because there marks the entrance of people into the city”, he said.
He advised those trading on the road to find alternative space to do their business instead of constituting public nuisance.
“It is unsafe as vehicle can knock you down, it is unhygienical and it defaces the city. So let the street markets go forever,” he said.
Wisdom, however, urged the state government to expedite action on the new phase of the Mile I market so that there would be more space for traders who were displaced when fire gutted the area.
He equally called for reduction in the cost of renting shops in the public markets especially the International Market of Rukpuokwu so that people can afford to pay.
The Tide reports that several administrations in the state have made efforts towards removing the street markets particularly in Mile one, Sangana Street and Rumuokoro amongst others but lacked the will to achieve it.
However, the present administration appears unrelenting in removing them in view of the seriousness to execute its urban renewal programmes.

Chris Oluoh